From a decision of the N.Y. Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics, handed down on Jan. 27 but just posted on Westlaw:
The inquiring full-time judge asks if it is ethically permissible to serve on the board of directors of the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU). As the organization's website explains:
Our mission is to defend and promote the fundamental principles and values embodied in the Bill of Rights, the U.S. Constitution, and the New York Constitution, including freedom of speech and religion, and the right to privacy, equality and due process of law, with particular attention to the pervasive and persistent harms of racism. The NYCLU works toward its mission by advocating for all New Yorkers to have equal access to opportunities and the equal ability to participate in government decisions that affect them. This includes planning and development decisions, which historically have excluded or intentionally discriminated against Black, Indigenous, and Latinx New Yorkers.
To advance this mission, the NYCLU "works in the courts as a public-interest law firm, bringing constitutional test cases in state and federal court" and engages in "[l]egislative advocacy" as part of an "interdisciplinary approach to protecting civil liberties, which also includes litigation, community organizing, and communications."
